3rd Rock from the Sun: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Was Depressed Over Ending

Published: July 7, 2010

When a long-running TV show comes to an end, performers often have mixed emotions. Shooting a TV series can mean lots of long, long days but it’s also a steady paycheck. There are numerous TV stars who have found themselves typecast and unable to find new work.

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt recently shared that he was “scared and depressed” when 3rd Rock from the Sun ended in 2001. He tells Details, “I was scared and depressed for a while, not that I had any reason to f*****g be depressed — I mean, I was going to college and it was not like I was hungry.”

Gordon-Levitt continued, “But absolutely. I was like, ‘S**t, I don’t know if anybody’s gonna let me act. They’ll let me be in another sitcom, but I don’t want to do that. This is terrible’.”

Of course, Gordon-Levitt had little to worry about. He’d been working for years prior to the series and has established himself as a well-respected movie actor. He’s starred in films like (500) Days of Summer, Brick, and currently, Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio — another sitcom veteran turned film star.

What do you think? When you were watching Gordon-Levitt as “Tommy” on 3rd Rock, did you have any idea that he’d go on to star in movies?